What made 90s Anime SO SPECIAL?

Summary

In this video, Adrian explores the enduring appeal of '90s anime, highlighting its unmatched aesthetic, atmospheric storytelling, and hand-drawn animation. From classics like 'Cowboy Bebop' and 'Akira' to iconic series 'Dragon Ball Z', the era is celebrated for its character-driven narratives and psychological depth. Despite technological advancements, the hand-crafted charm of '90s anime continues to inspire and influence modern shows, leaving a timeless legacy in the world of animation.

Takeaways

• 🎨 '90s anime is celebrated for its unique and unmatched aesthetic, which continues to inspire and influence modern shows.
• 🌆 The detailed and vibrant cityscapes, like those in 'Akira', showcased the passion and craftsmanship of '90s animators.
• 🎭 '90s anime set a high standard for visual storytelling, often using the art style to reflect and enhance the narrative and emotions.
• 🚂 In series like 'Neon Genesis Evangelion', the aesthetic and art style were instrumental in building atmosphere and immersing viewers in the characters' experiences.
• 🎞 The use of cell animation, a labor-intensive hand-drawn technique, gave '90s anime a distinct charm and quality that still resonates today.
• 🌟 'Dragon Ball Z' exemplifies the iconic status of '90s anime, with its hand-drawn animation and memorable character transformations.
• 👥 The characters in '90s anime were deeply developed, often featuring psychological depth and flawed personalities that made them relatable and memorable.
• 🚀 Characters like Spike Spiegel from 'Cowboy Bebop' were complex, showcasing a range of emotions and personal growth throughout the series.
• 🌈 The '90s anime era is remembered with nostalgia and is considered a timeless medium, with a legacy that remains influential in the industry.
• 🔁 Fans continue to revisit these classics and introduce them to new audiences, ensuring the enduring popularity of '90s anime.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video script?

The main topic of the video script is the distinctiveness and appeal of '90s anime, exploring what made it special compared to contemporary animated shows.

Why does the author believe '90s anime aesthetic is unmatched?

The author believes the '90s anime aesthetic is unmatched because it has aged fantastically, and artists could express a lot through the style used in that era, which continues to inspire and influence even today.

What is an example of a '90s anime movie mentioned in the script that showcases the aesthetic of that time?

Akira is mentioned as an example of a '90s anime movie that showcases the aesthetic of that time, with vibrant colors and fluid animation that left a lasting impression.

How does '90s anime set a new standard for visual storytelling?

'90s anime set a new standard for visual storytelling by using detailed craftsmanship and attention to detail, which even decades later, continues to inspire and influence modern shows.

What technique was primarily used for animation in '90s anime?

Cell animation was the primary technique used for animation in '90s anime, which involved hand-drawing on clear celluloid sheets placed over painted backgrounds.

Why does the author appreciate the hand-drawn animation in '90s anime?

The author appreciates the hand-drawn animation in '90s anime because of the love, care, and charm evident in each line, the gorgeous color palette, and the imperfections that add to the experience.

What is the significance of character development in '90s anime according to the script?

Character development is significant in '90s anime as it often placed greater emphasis on character-driven narratives and psychological depth, creating flawed but relatable and iconic characters.

How does the script describe the character of Spike Spiegel from 'Cowboy Bebop'?

Spike Spiegel is described as an introvert, nonchalant, and lazy character who starts off hating certain things but warms up and opens himself to others as the series progresses, showing his complex and flawed nature.

What is the author's opinion on the legacy of '90s anime?

The author views the legacy of '90s anime as vibrant, influential, and timeless, with a special place in the hearts of fans who continue to revisit these classics.

Why does the author encourage viewers to comment and subscribe?

The author encourages viewers to comment and subscribe because it helps the channel significantly and allows for more content on topics that viewers are interested in, such as the discussion on '90s anime.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 The Timeless Aesthetic of '90s Anime

The script begins by pondering what made '90s anime special in comparison to modern, beautifully animated shows. It argues that classics like 'Cowboy Bebop' and 'Akira' have a unique aesthetic that still draws viewers. The narrator, Adrian, highlights the unmatched visual storytelling of '90s anime, using 'Akira' as an example of how vibrant colors and fluid animation can leave a lasting impression. The script also notes how the aesthetic of '90s anime continues to influence modern shows and how it can enhance music through visuals, even decades later.

05:01

🖌️ The Art of Hand-Drawn Animation and Character Depth

This paragraph delves into the technique of cell animation, which was prevalent in '90s anime and involved hand-drawing on celluloid sheets. It uses 'Dragon Ball Z' as a prime example of the love and care that went into each frame, resulting in a charming and enduring animation style. The paragraph also acknowledges the hard work and challenging conditions of animators during that era. Furthermore, it contrasts the character-driven narratives of '90s anime with the action-focused shows of today, highlighting how '90s anime wasn't afraid to depict flawed and relatable characters, making them iconic and memorable.

10:03

🌟 The Enduring Legacy and Nostalgia of '90s Anime

The final paragraph invites viewers to share their thoughts on the '90s art style and whether they prefer it over current animation styles. It summarizes the discussion on the unique qualities of '90s anime, including its hand-painted landscapes, flawed yet lovable characters, and the nostalgia that fans feel when revisiting these classics. The script concludes by expressing a personal fondness for the era and acknowledging the timeless and influential nature of '90s anime.

Keywords

💡Aesthetics

Aesthetics refers to the visual style and the way an art piece or in this case, an anime, is presented. In the video, the term is used to describe the unique and appealing visual elements of '90s anime that have aged well and continue to attract viewers. The script mentions how a single screenshot from an anime like 'Akira' can captivate due to its vibrant colors and fluid animation, showcasing the passion of the animators.

💡Cell Animation

Cell animation, also known as traditional animation, is a technique where each frame of animation is drawn by hand on transparent celluloid sheets. The video emphasizes the craftsmanship and effort that went into '90s anime like 'Dragon Ball Z', where everything was animated by hand, resulting in a distinct charm and quality that still holds up today.

💡Character Development

Character development is the process by which a character's traits, abilities, and motivations are revealed and evolve over time. The video highlights how '90s anime prioritized deep character development, creating complex and relatable characters. It uses 'Cowboy Bebop's' Spike Spiegel as an example, who starts as a character with flaws but shows depth and growth throughout the series.

💡Visual Storytelling

Visual storytelling is the use of visual elements to convey a narrative. The video argues that '90s anime set a new standard for visual storytelling, with the aesthetic and art style complementing the story and emotions of the characters. 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' is cited as an example where the art style reflects the protagonist's feelings, enhancing the storytelling.

💡Hand-drawn Animation

Hand-drawn animation is a traditional method of creating animation frame by frame, typically by drawing each frame on paper or celluloid. The video praises the hand-drawn animation of '90s anime for its attention to detail and the love and care evident in every line, which adds to the viewing experience and makes it feel like a time capsule.

💡Nostalgia

Nostalgia is a sentimental longing or affection for the past. The video suggests that nostalgia plays a role in the enduring popularity of '90s anime, as fans continue to revisit these classics and introduce them to new audiences. The term is used to describe the emotional connection viewers have with these older titles.

💡Psychological Depth

Psychological depth refers to the complexity and intricacy of a character's inner life, including their thoughts, feelings, and motivations. The video notes that '90s anime often featured characters with psychological depth, making them more compelling and realistic. This is contrasted with modern anime that may focus more on action and fight scenes.

💡Flawed Characters

Flawed characters are those with imperfections, making them more human and relatable. The video discusses how '90s anime was not afraid to portray characters with flaws, which made them iconic and endearing. Characters like Spike from 'Cowboy Bebop' and Yusuke from 'Yu Yu Hakusho' are highlighted for their imperfections that add to their charm.

💡Influential

Influential means having a significant impact on others, often setting trends or standards. The video describes '90s anime as influential, noting that its craftsmanship, attention to detail, and storytelling techniques continue to inspire and shape modern anime.

💡Timeless

Timeless refers to something that remains relevant and appreciated across different periods. The video concludes that the legacy of '90s anime is timeless, suggesting that its appeal and influence persist even as animation techniques and storytelling methods evolve.

Highlights

90s anime is special due to its unmatched aesthetic that still draws viewers today.

Older titles like Cowboy Bebop and Akira have a timeless appeal that sets them apart from newer animations.

Akira, a 90s anime movie, showcases vibrant colors and fluid animation that leaves a lasting impression.

90s anime set a new standard for visual storytelling, influencing modern media even decades later.

The art style of 90s anime builds atmosphere, as seen in Neon Genesis Evangelion's Hedgehog's Dilemma episode.

90s anime immersed viewers in the story by making them feel what the characters felt.

Cell animation, a traditional form of animating, was used for most 90s anime, including Dragon Ball Z.

Hand-drawn animation in 90s anime like Dragon Ball Z adds charm and a personal touch.

The animation of 90s anime holds up well today, surpassing some modern shows in quality.

90s anime characters were fantastic, with a heavy emphasis on character development and psychological depth.

Characters like Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop are flawed but relatable, making them iconic.

90s anime wasn't afraid to portray characters with both good and bad qualities, making them more memorable.

The era of 90s anime is remembered with love and endearment, and its legacy remains influential.

90s anime is a timeless medium that continues to be popular due to its unique animation, aesthetics, and characters.

The video discusses the possibility of nostalgia playing a role in the enduring popularity of 90s anime.

The video encourages viewers to comment on their preferences between old and new anime art styles.

Transcripts

what made 9s anime so

special I found myself asking this

question

recently in a time where we have

beautifully animated shows like Demon

Slayer and jiujitsu Kaizen I find myself

more drawn to older titles like cowboy

Bop and

airo of course it's easy to make the

argument that those titles are Classics

and a show like Jiu-Jitsu Kaizen still

has a way to go before reaching their

status but why are they Classics what

made them so

special my name is Adrian or webs and

today we'll be trying to understand what

made 9s anime so

special but before we begin you know the

drill by now you got to like the video

and

[Music]

subscribe the aesthetic of '90s anime is

unmatched to this day I can't tell you

how many times seeing a single

screenshot from an anime has made me

want to watch

[Music]

it artists can express so much through

the aesthetic of an anime and the sty

style used in the '90s has aged

fantastically I noticed this when I went

back to watch one of my favorite movies

Aira Akira is a 2hour long anime movie

about a biker named Kena who tries to

save his friend from a top secret

government project I won't spoil too

much because you should definitely watch

Akira but the scenes where Keno is

riding through the city or a simple shot

of the skyline left me astounded the

vibrant colors and fluid animation was

beautiful and it truly shows the passion

and how much the animators cared when

making this

movie '90s Anime set a new standard for

visual storytelling how many times have

you seen a Loi beats video with a

looping shot of a scene from a ' 9s

anime and every single time the

aesthetic matches the

music even decades later the

craftsmanship and attention to detail

displayed in '90s anime continue to

inspire and influence some of my

favorite shows

another thing about the Aesthetics that

made 9s enemies so special was how they

built

atmosphere one of the best examples of

this is in Neon Genesis

Evangelion in the episode Hedgehog's

dilemma Shinji runs away from home he is

traumatized and stressed after his last

battle and he takes off with no place to

go the aesthetic and art style perfectly

complement how Shinji is feeling on the

train with Shinji we hear nothing but

the muffled sounds of his music the

rattling of the train tracks the

clicking of his cassette player as he

rewinds the same

song outside we see the green gray

cityscape being peppered with rain until

we move further and further away from

civilization and the background no

longer has any buildings but

mountains Shinji goes to a movie theater

and does everything but watch the

movie the art shows this as not even the

light from the screen reflects off his

eyes they're dull empty and

sad 9s anime fully immersed Us in the

story of these worlds by making us feel

what the characters felt that may be

basic storytelling but in times where

some shows tell us a character is sad

rather than show us going back and

seeing this is refreshing beautiful art

that reflects the story that leads on to

the next topic

[Music]

before technology improved to what we

have today animation for anime was done

using a technique called cell

animation cell animation is a

traditional form of animating and it

involved everything being handdrawn on

clear Celluloid sheets and placed over

painted

background most if not all of your

favorite 90 shows were done this way for

example Dragon Ball Z it'd be a crime

for me to not talk about this anime when

on this topic Dragon Ball Z is the most

iconic anime to come out of the '90s it

inspired and changed the generation and

gave home to the most popular anime

character in history

Goku real quick off topic who do you

think could actually beat Goku let me

know in the comments because me

personally Sailor Moon win that fight

and I will not be

elaborating back on topic if you're a

huge fan of the Dragon Ball series I'm

sure you'll agree that it has some of

the best animation especially in the

'90s we all remember watching Goku go

Super Saiyan for the first

[Music]

time one thing I'm sure you didn't know

is that all of it was done using

animation cells

everything was animated by hand and my

God can you tell the love and care and

each line the gorgeous color palette and

the charm of every imperfection just

adds to the

experience one of my favorite things

about this being hand animated was the

OG Super Saiyan hair I much prefer it

being fluffy and light as opposed to

Sharp and rigid but hey maybe that's

just me DBZ's animation holds up so well

to this day that it even surpasses some

of the best animated shows we have

now of course not everything can be hand

animated it's extremely challenging work

both mentally and physically and the

animators that had to do this also had

the pressure of working on a beloved

franchise too working conditions for

animators are usually poor and I like to

take this moment to acknowledge that and

thank them all for their continuous hard

work

when technology improved animators used

that to make their workload more

manageable and rightfully so it just

feels like a beautiful time capsule to

turn on a classic anime and see how

everything is hand

[Music]

painted the anime characters of the '90s

were fantastic they placed a heavy

emphasis on character development unlike

now where action and fight scam seem to

be the main focus '90s anime often

placed greater emphasis on

character-driven narratives and

psychological depth we had Goku Sailor

Moon Yus guts and the poster boy of '90s

anime himself Spike

Spiegel spike is a bounty hunter on a

spaceship called the bbop and after an

affair with his partner vicious's

girlfriend he finds himself with a

Target on his head spike is an introvert

nonchalant and lazy he smokes all the

time and we can see that in damn near

every shot Spike sounds like a typical

protagonist you see nowadays however

what separates spike is the execution of

his

character no wait not the actual

execution of his character spoilers

sorry Spike starts off hating everything

he hates dogs children and women with

attitudes and yet as the series

progresses he warms up and opens himself

to a Edward and Fay each of them falling

into one of those categories Spike has

nightmares and is constantly tormented

by his

past he isn't a hero like it see with

deu or tandera but he has a good heart

9's anime weren't afraid to make their

characters flawed and downright not good

people by doing that it immediately made

them iconic and made us love them even

more spike is lazy and has done terrible

things but he still brings flowers to

visit a girl in the hospital yusuke from

yuu Haka show was a troublemaker with a

foul mouth but he still jumped out in

front of a car to save a kid by making

these characters flawed they stick in

our minds real people with good hearts

and bad attitudes that's more relatable

than somebody who's always been good

anime from the '90s was

special from beautiful hand painted

Landscapes to flawed but lovable

characters '90s anime was surely a sight

to

behold together we've tried to

understand what makes it so popular

whether the popularity of it is down to

the animation the Aesthetics the

characters or just straight up

Nostalgia fans will continue to revisit

these Classics and introduce new

audiences to the wonders of them I know

I'll never stop watching these shows

personally the era of '90s anime can be

looked back on with love and

endearment its Legacy remains as vibrant

and influential as ever truly a Timeless

medium

but what do you

think maybe you hate the old art style

of anime or maybe you prefer it to what

we get now either way make sure you

comment and let me know and like the

video and subscribe it helps way more

than you know a lot of you have asked me

to do a video on this topic so I hope

you enjoyed this as usual thank you for

watching stay safe and

yeah

peace

[Music]